This application relates to the art of thermal protectors and, more particularly, to thermal protectors for interrupting an electrical circuit in the event a predetermined temperature is reached or exceeded. The invention is particularly applicable to thermal cutoffs, and will be described with specific reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that the invention has broader aspects, and can be used with thermal protectors of other types.
A thermal protector of a known type includes a dielectric bushing received in an open end of a housing. A hole through the bushing receives a wire lead having an enlarged contact on one end inside the housing. The lead has a tail portion extending outwardly from the bushing outside of the housing. A sealing compound surrounds the tail portion of the lead adjacent the bushing, and also covers the outside end of the bushing. Under some conditions, the bond between the sealing compound and tail portion of the lead can become loose, and result in movement of the lead through the bushing further into the housing. This may result in undesirable and dangerous reclosing of open contacts in a thermal cutoff whose design temperature has been reached or exceeded. It would be desirable to have a more positive way of preventing relative longitudinal movement between the bushing and the lead.